1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cooling apparatus for use in cooling individuals or groups of people.
2. The Prior Art
Cooling apparatus such as portable cooling apparatus for cooling people are well known. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,562 to Elkins an apparatus is disclosed which includes a temperature control unit, a cap which contains air and fluid bladders, a vest which contains air and fluid bladders, and air and fluid tubes which extend from the temperature control unit to the cap, from the cap to the vest, and from the vest back to the temperature control unit so as to separately convey air and cooled liquid to the cap and to the vest to fill the bladders therein, the cooled liquid flowing through the cap and the vest cooling the head and torso of the user. The temperature control unit can be moved to desired locations of use.
Other portable personal cooling apparatus are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,762 to Elkins et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,282 to Eddins. Hats or helmets for cooling the heads of users are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,548,696, U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,696, U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,495 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,773.
However, the prior art cooling apparatus, due to their constructions, are quite inefficient or complicated in construction, and cannot maintain their cooling function for more than a short period of time.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling apparatus which is much more efficient than known apparatus of this type and will operate to cool a person or groups of people for long periods of time, e.g., up to 2 hours, depending on ambient conditions.
According to this invention, the cooling apparatus includes an insulated base unit for containing supplied refrigerant such as ice, a discharge unit for discharging cooled air, and a closed coolant circulating system extending between the base unit and the discharge unit, the coolant in the circulating system being cooled in the base unit by the refrigerant supplied thereto and then circulated to the discharge unit in order to cool air flowing therethrough, and then circulated back to the base unit.
The closed circulating system includes a first tube coil in a refrigerant chamber in the base unit, the first tube coil exposing a large surface area to the refrigerant, e.g., ice, in the refrigerant chamber so as to enable efficient transfer of coolness from the refrigerant to the coolant flowing through the tube coil. The closed circulation system also includes a second tube coil in the discharge unit to enable efficient transfer of coolness from the coolant flowing therethrough to air passing over the tube coil. The closed circulation system also includes a first connecting tube, preferably a flexible hose, which extends from the base unit to the discharge unit to convey coolant from the first tube coil to the second tube coil, and a second connecting tube, preferably a flexible hose, which extends between the discharge unit and the base unit to return coolant to the base unit. A pump is preferably positioned in the base unit to circulate the coolant in the closed circulation system.
In a first preferred embodiment the base unit is in the form of a relatively small insulated tank which can be worn by a user as a backpack and the discharge unit is in the form of a helmet which is worn by the user, the helmet including a fan for circulating air over the second tube coil therein and onto the head of the user.
In another preferred embodiment the base unit is a larger insulated tank which can be positioned on a cart and the discharge unit is a downwardly-open hood which is mounted on a movable boom, the hood being large enough to cool a plurality of people therebelow. In a modification, the base unit can be placed on a vehicle such as a golf cart and the hood can be mounted on the roof of the golf cart so as to cool golfers in or adjacent the cart at any location along the golf course.
The tube coils of the closed circulation system are made of material which have good heat/coolness transfer properties, and can include rubber, plastic and metals. Copper is especially preferred.